Measuring nursing outcomes in a psychiatric setting

Recent developments in health care reform suggest the importance of outcome data regarding the nature, costs, and documented effectiveness of various health care services. While psychiatric nurses believe in the value of the care they provide, the present climate requires that research be conducted to elaborate the outcomes of psychiatric nursing care. This article describes a pilot study conducted on two adult inpatient units of a teaching hospital. On the experimental unit, nurses used North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) nursing process documentation that related to specific patient outcome criteria. On the control unit, nurses used a medical systems approach to documentation. Study results and important unanticipated findings are reported with implications for future nursing research and practice.